China, India to step up counter-terrorism cooperation

BEIJING - China's ministry of public security and India's ministry of home affairs on Saturday vowed to improve counter-terrorism cooperation between the two countries.

In a joint statement issued in Beijing, the two ministries said they will enhance high level exchanges and put into place a high-level security and counter-terrorism meeting mechanism.

Condemning the Paris attack last week which killed some 130 people, the two ministries said they will exchange experiences and information on terrorist activities, terror groups and their association.

They will also exchange experience in dealing with hijacking and hostage taking incidents as well as other terrorist activities, and promised to coordinate positions in regional and multilateral counter-terrorist operations.

The two sides will also send expert teams to meet for counter-terrorist cooperation, and step up collaboration in fields such as drug control and combating cyber crimes, telecom fraud, economic crimes, illegal immigration, illicit arms trade and other cross-border crimes.

High level security officials will meet in Beijing and New Delhi alternatively every two years, the joint statement read.

A ministerial level delegation from China's ministry of public security will visit India in the first half of 2016, it said.